The Farr Side: Imbalance in ‘Leaving Neverland’

Thursday

We are living in dangerous times. No one is free from accusation. All it takes any more is someone to come forward, make an accusation, drop it on social media and let the damage take course.

Examples abound: R. Kelly, Kevin Spacey and numerous politicians, all the way to President Donald Trump. Seemingly no one is exempt.

Michael Jackson is back in the headlines again, for inappropriate behavior with children, particularly two men featured in a new HBO documentary, “Leaving Neverland.”

First, a disclaimer: I do not condone such actions these or others have been accused, nor do I feel they are exempt because they are famous or have power. Any such act by anyone should be brought about in fairness and in respect of the law.

Social media and tabloid noisemakers have been a breeding ground for fodder of this sort. It sickens me. Michael Jackson passed away in 2009. Where were Wade Robson and James Safechuck then? Where were they with these allegations years earlier? Forbes is the only publication to share this information. I feel compelled to share, as well, and not because I’m a fan of Michael’s, but because I care about the truth.

Robson wrote in tribute of Jackson in 2009:

“Michael Jackson changed the world and, more personally, my life forever. He is the reason I dance, the reason I make music and one of the main reasons I believe in the pure goodness of humankind. He has been a close friend of mine for 20 years. His music, his movement, his personal words of inspiration and encouragement and his unconditional love will live inside of me forever. I will miss him immeasurably, but I know that he is now at peace and enchanting the heavens with a melody and a moonwalk.”

That doesn’t sound like something a person would say if he was locked in rooms for weeks at a time and forced into sexual situations with an older man. Four years earlier, Robson testified under oath, understanding the penalty of perjury, that “nothing sexual ever happened.”

In 2011, Robson pursued the Jackson estate for a job to direct Cirque du Soleil for a show dedicated to Michael Jackson. Someone else was hired.

In 2012, Robson saw his career falling apart.

In 2013, Robson and Safechuck filed a $1.5 billion civil suit against Jackson. The suit was dropped by probate court in 2017.

Sundance premiered the documentary, which is based on Robson and Safechuck’s allegations. It presents no new evidence or witnesses. Director, Dan Reed acknowledged not wanting to interview other key figures, because it might complicate or compromise the story he wanted to tell.

No other individual in pop music has been more scrutinized than Michael Jackson. He and his homes were investigated over such allegations in the 1990s and again in the mid-2000s. No incriminating evidence was found. In 2005, he was acquitted on all charges. The FBI also released a full investigation including a 300-page report showing no evidence of wrongdoing.

I won’t watch this documentary, nor will I be a part of destroying this man’s musical legacy. I will say this: If all of this was occurring for weeks at a time, where were these children’s parents? No one seems to ask that.David T. Farr can be reached at farrboy@hotmail.com.

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